Main Lakes Eurasian Milfoil Treatment Areas September 27 2018

Though we had planned to treat any significant late season Eurasian milfiol beds on the Main Lakes this September, we didn't expect the growth to be so dense on East Lake. The treatment being administered is systemic and will kill treated plants as to greatly reduce their occurrence

for the 2019 season. Systemic treatments are much slower in efficacy than contact herbicide treatments but the majority of treated plants should die off before ice cover.

Lake of the Clouds Eurasian Milfoil Treatment August 2018

As has been the case for the past number of years, Lake of the Clouds will be treated with systemic aquatic herbicides for Eurasian milfoil in the red areas depicted on the associated map. The treatment is scheduled for Thursday August 9th but may be adjusted due to weather. Please check posting signs near treatment areas for exact information on time of treatment and water use restrictions. All significant restrictions other than irrigation expire 24 hours after the treatment is administered. Please don't hesitate with any questions!
Your Lake Manager,
Joel Steenstra

2018 General Aquatic Nuisance Plant Treatment Maps

The Canadian Lakes summer season is finally upon us again! Time to treat the "seaweed" otherwise know as aquatic vascular plants. As has been the case for more than 2 decades, MIDEQ approved and permitted contact herbicides will be used by our licensed applicator to knock down taller growing aquatic vegetation. The smaller lakes, with the exception of Rush Lake and Kitts Lake, are scheduled to be treated June 6th. The Main Lakes Chain is scheduled for June 7th, weather dependent. If time allows, Rush and Kitts will be treated yet this week or shortly there after. Please don't hesitate to call (6160245-3818 or email joels@summitlaboratory.com with any questions or concerns.
Your Lake Manager, Joel Steenstra

 

Lake of the Clouds Eurasian Milfoil Treatment Week of August 14 2017

Lake of the Clouds will be treated with systemic aquatic herbicides for Eurasian milfoil in the red areas depicted on the associated map. The treatment is scheduled for Wednesday August 16th but may be adjusted due to weather. Please check posting signs near treatment areas for exact information on time of treatment and water use restrictions. All significant restrictions other than irrigation expire 24 hours after the treatment is administered. Please don't hesitate with any questions!
Your Lake Manager,
Joel Steenstra

Purple Loosestrife Pulling Party August 5, 2017

Who doesn't love a good party, especially when it's for a good cause. On August 5th, 2017 between 11am and 12pm we will have our first annual Canadian Lakes Purple Loosestrife pulling party. Anytime between now and 12pm on August 5th, you are encouraged to pull and bag any Purple Loosestrife plants you encounter within the CLPOC development. Bring the bags to the Main Pavilion (between Pierce Beach and the Office) to be entered into a raffle for a major prize. The CL Fishing Club will be providing pizza and refreshments. You must get bags to the Pavilion before 12pm to be entered in the drawing. Please refer to the videos and map for more information. See you on the 5th! Joel Steenstra

Algaecide Treatment for Main Lakes East Royal at Peninsula Drive Bay

Filamentous algae will be treated on Thursday July 13, 2017 in the area in red above. This treatment carries a 24 hour swimming restriction and is intended to quickly knock out algae forming in this bay. Please don't hesitate with questions and comments.

2017 General Aquatic Nuisance Plant Treatment Maps

As has been the case for over 20 years, an aquatic herbicide application is being conducted on June 20th to control excess aquatic vegetation. Unlike past seasons, the Main Lakes Chain of Lakes will not be treated with contact herbicides. The Main Lakes Chain was treated with Fluridone (trade name Sonar) back on May 15th. Unlike contact aquatic herbicides, Fluridone is systemic and is intended to kill Eurasian milfoil. A second difference is that contact herbicides are only applied to shoreline areas of the lake where aquatic vegetation is disrupting recreational pursuits or degrading property values. Fluridone is administered evenly throughout the chain of lakes and maintained at a target concentration (6 parts per billion) for multiple months. The contact herbicides being applied June 20th are much quicker acting, taking about 10 days to knock plants down. These treatments have a 24 hour swimming restriction. Refer to posted treatment signs for more information. Please don't hesitate with any questions.  

Floating Peat Mat Islands

Recently a number of large peat mat “islands” have floated to the surface of Main Lake and Far West. This phenomenon has occurred sporadically in recent years and is typically most dramatic following a mild winter. During typical summers (thermocline) and winters (ice cover) aerobic bacterial decomposition of the organic matter in these peat mats ceases due to complete oxygen depletion. In this scenario gases are released faster than they accumulate and the mats stay on the bottom of the lake. During a mild winter with limited ice cover, fermentation continues and the peat mat continues to fill with gas faster than it can be released. As the summer progresses, the peat mat becomes buoyant from the trapped gas and the mat floats up to the surface.

In past years, we have been very limited in options to remove these floating mats. This season, we have been able to use the Truxor to break them up into manageable chunks and push them to shore.

Because the mats in Main Lake are a safety issue, their removal has taken priority over the removal of aquatic vegetation as had originally been planned. The mat islands in Far West are slated for removal after the Holiday weekend as they pose less of a safety risk being in a no wake lake. 

A close up of the spongy plant fibers and organic matter that make up the mats.  

The remnants of the peat mat “island” in Main Lake on the last morning of removal work.  

Dennis breaking up the mat with the Truxor

The Truxor

With well over 200 hours logged on the new Truxor machine working on Trapper Woods pond, Swan Lake, Camper Lake, and the Main Lakes, we have deeper understanding of how to best utilize it as a lake management tool. The potential applications for the Truxor are wide ranging from aquatic and terrestrial vegetation control to floating peat mat removal to even potential light dredging. However, what is limited is time and money. The endless list of work sites is more than the Truxor can address in one season. Identifying and prioritizing work sites is an ongoing effort. As we learn the machines strengths and weaknesses, we can best use it to efficiently address control needs. Some of these work sites will require annual maintenance while others will only need to be addressed occasionally over years.      

Currently we are using the Truxor on the Main Lakes to remove Wild Celery in anticipation for the Labor Day weekend. Wild Celery is a native aquatic plant that matures in the fall. It sends up a fibrous “curly-Q” shoot to the surface that easily becomes tangled in boat props. Wild Celery can be uprooted by ducks, geese, swans, muskrats and boats and can form fairly extensive mats. Herbicides are at best minimally successful at controlling Wild Celery. The Truxor will be utilized to capture and remove these mats as best possible. Small mats of vegetation may wash up on your beach. If it is a small amount, please help us out by raking it out, letting it dry, and disposing of it. If it is a large mat, please let me know where it is and I will do my best to get it collected.

Please keep your distance when observing the machine in action. With an endless list of work to tackle, we need to keep the operators engaged in the task at hand. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about the machine. We still plan to use aquatic herbicides when they present the most cost effective strategy but the Truxor is providing an opportunity to control nuisance vegetation issues were herbicides can’t. Below is a mat of Wild Celery on the Main Lake that was uprooted by boats, muskrats or waterfowl. Though herbicides will do nothing to control this nuisance, the Truxor can collect and remove much of this obstruction.  

Lake of the Clouds will be treated with systemic herbicides for Eurasian milfoil in the locations indicated on the map below. The treatment will take place on Monday August 22nd or later in the week weather dependent. Please observed all restrictions stated on the yellow posting notifications in and around these treatment areas.

 

The Main Lakes Chain will be treated with contact herbicides for aquatic nuisance aquatic plants on Monday August 22 in the locations depicted on the map below. Supplemental nuisance plant control is planned to be provided via the Truxor following this treatment. The Truxor will target Wild Celery (Vallisnaria americana) as it is minimally impacted by aquatic herbicide applications.

 

Help Wanted Battle Purple Loosestrife

Purple Loostrife Update:

Purple loosestrife is in full bloom around many Michigan lakes and roadside wetlands. The Main Lakes Chain of Lakes has an established, yet sporadic population of Purple loosestrife. The plant has been targeted for control as it is highly invasive, displacing native shoreline plants and degrading critical shoreline habitat. Because this particular plant is currently a lower control priority than plants like Eurasian milfoil and Phragmites, we are relying on volunteers to help us contain and remove it. We need your help!

Refer to the photos below for assistance in identifying this plant. Look for purple it pinkish flowers in clusters on shoreline plants with angular to square stems. The plants don’t flower until mid to late July so often they go unnoticed until the mid-summer bloom occurs. If you roll the stems in your fingers, you will notice the angular or square nature of the stem. Very few native shoreline plants have angular stems.

Purple Loosestrife is a prolific seed producer and incredibly hardy. Mowing the plant will not kill it and in most areas that the plant is mowed, it continues to out compete native vegetation and spread. Spraying adult flowering plants will also increase the spread of the plant. Roundup-like systemic herbicides will kill adult Purple loosestrife plants but all native plants contacted are also killed. The seeds are not affected by systemic herbicides and will germinate and repopulate the treated area. Seeds are often viable for multiple years.

The best way to remove PL is to carefully pull or dig it up and dump it in a trash bag. The tap roots often run fairly deep and unless they are completely removed, the plant will return. The picture below shows the authors attempt at removing a plant by pulling. The shallow roots pulled out but the tap root remained. It is likely a new plant will sprout from this root next spring. Another option is to cut all the flowers off the plant and dump them in a trash bag. The remaining green leafy (seedless) vegetation can then be sprayed with Roundup. Thank you for your willingness to help and please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.